Future in the Past
by Polgara218
Summary: Bella doesn't move back to Forks in high school, but instead after she graduates after Charlie has a heart attack. Now having to deal with a new town, new romance, and still deal with her life in Florida Bella finds the meaning of family. JakeBella
1. Charlie

I closed my eyes as the plane landed in Washington. I didn't want to be here, I didn't want to face all of Charlie's friends. I didn't even want this to be happening.

Things had been going really well in my life up until this point. I knew that I needed to be here for my Dad, but I couldn't help but dread being the new girl in a small town. That was probably one of the reasons I had chosen to stay with my Mom and Phil instead of moving here when I was in high school.

I couldn't help but wonder if things would be different if I had chosen to move here sooner. Would Charlie and I have a better relationship? Probably, but I had chosen to stay with my Mom and I couldn't change the choices I had already made. Truth be told I probably wouldn't change anything even if I had the chance.

I grabbed my carry on and moved from the plane with the rest of the passengers. I stepped off the steps and moved through the air port to get my luggage.

It didn't take me long to find the two suitcases, but I had trouble maneuvering them to the place where I planned to rent a car. I wasn't in any way used to traveling on my own.

After renting a car I drove off in the direction of Forks. I watched the rain slowly pelt the windshield in small drops. In a way the rain was refreshing, I was used to the hot humidity of Florida.

The ride went much faster then I had thought it would take. I had hoped to have more time to pull myself together and figure things out, but soon I was driving past the beaten "Welcome to Forks" sign.

I had to pull directions from my purse to find the house and when I finally reached it the rain was coming down harder then before.

I groaned and moved to the back seat to go through one of my suit cases for a sweatshirt.

Just as I finally found the sweatshirt my phone began to ring.

"Hello?" I asked as I pulled my cell phone from my purse.

"Hi honey, did you get there safely?" my Mom's concerned voice came across the line.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm in front of the house right now." I told her as I put the clothes I had pulled out in search of my sweatshirt back in the suit case.

"I wish I could be there with you." she sighed. Renee was eight and a half months pregnant and on strict bed rest.

"You just stay where you are and take care of my baby sister." I told her smiling slightly. I hadn't been happy that my forty something mother was pregnant at first, but as the pregnancy progressed I couldn't help but be excited. I had always wanted a sibling and now I was getting one, plus watching how happy Mom and Phil were made it hard to stay upset.

"I will, you'll call me later tonight?" I could hear the sound of voices in the background and guessed that Phil had just gotten home.

"Yes, I love you Mom."

"Love you too, sweetie."

I hung up the phone and placed it in my pocket. I put on the sweatshirt and grabbed the umbrella from my purse, hoping to stay as dry as possible. I grabbed my bags and the key Charlie had given me in a letter he had sent several weeks ago from the hospital and miraculously managed to make it to the porch.

I slipped the key in the lock and stepped inside the house I hadn't been in for longer then I could remember. I dropped my things on one of the couches and went through the house turning on lights.

If I didn't know better I would have thought that nothing was wrong. Charlie's things were still all in place as if he had been here just this morning. A newspaper was folded on the table and his dirty dishes were still in the sink.

The home phone's ringing startled me and it took me a moment to get to the phone and answer it.

"Hello, This is Isabella Swan." I answered as I twirled the phone cord between my fingers. I preferred being called Bella, but I was fairly sure that no one would recognize me by that name.

"Isabella, this is Billy Black, your dad's friend." a gruff voice said.

"I know who you are. I can remember all the time I spent at La Push when I was little. How are your daughters?" Charlie had told me about the accident that had paralyzed Billy and killed his wife.

"They're doing fine. They're sorry to hear about Charlie."

"Yeah, me too. I have to go, I'm going to see him in the hospital." I hated to rush the conversation, but I knew visiting hours were almost over.

"When you get a chance give me a call. It would be nice to see you and I know Jake wants to see you."

Jake. It took me several minutes to remember Billy's son. Dad had mentioned him before, but I had no face to put with the name. I had mostly spent time with his sisters and honestly didn't even remember he existed until Charlie had brought it up in a conversation.

"Ok, I'll talk to you soon." I slipped the phone back on the hook and grabbed my purse, braving the rain once again to get to the car.

The Forks hospital was much easier to find then the house. I hurried inside and paused at the front desk to talk to the nurse on duty.

"I'm here to see Charlie Swan, I'm his daughter." I told the woman at the desk.

"He's in room 102 head on back." the nurse told me with a smile as she turned back to the papers she was filling out.

"Thanks."

I moved slowly down the hallway having no idea what to expect. Charlie had insisted that he was fine when I had talked to him on the phone, but I had never heard from the doctor exactly what state he was in.

I had received the call three weeks ago that Charlie had a heart attack and had quickly made arrangements to come down and see him. I may not have spent much time with my father, but I still loved him and wanted to have a relationship with him. It had taken almost losing him and still having to worry that I might lose him to finally realize that.

I knocked before slowly entering. Charlie sat awake in bed hooked up to a dozen tubes and machines. Despite his protests of being fine, he looked like he was on death's doorstep. He was pale and every breath sounded like it would be his last.

"Hey Dad." I took a seat in the chair next to him trying to act normal, but his appearance had startled me.

"Bella, I didn't expect you until tomorrow." he said in a quiet, weak voice.

"I managed to get an earlier flight. How are you feeling?" I asked as I quickly wiped a tear from my face before he could see it.

"I'll be up and moving in no time." he said as he forced a smile on his face, it looked more like a grimace.

"I'm sure you will." I smiled slightly as more tears welled up in my eyes.

"How's school going?" he inquired.

"I'm going to college online and it's made things a lot easier for me."

"Can you still attend your classes while you're here?" he asked, suddenly concerned about my schooling.

"As long as I have an internet connection I can do my work anywhere." I assured him.

"And how's your mother doing?"

"She's doing fine, as you know the doctor put her on bed rest, but other then her going crazy being down all the time things are going really well." I was touched that he was still trying to get caught up with what was going on in my life, even when he was in the hospital himself.

"And work?" he moved to the next topic easily. I could tell he was happy to have me here.

"I quit my job. I need something more flexible, especially if I'm going to be helping Mom take care of a brand new baby."

A nurse entered cutting off any further chances of conversation.

"I'm afraid visiting hours are over." she told me as she moved over to one of the monitors hooked up to Charlie.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Dad." I squeezed his hand before leaving the room and moving back toward my car.

It had been a long flight and I was exhausted. Yet, somehow, I still had the feeling that I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

_Thank you for reading. Please review and let me know what you think._


	2. Prognosis

I woke up bright and early the next morning. Probably due to the three hour time difference, but I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get back to sleep. My back hurt from using Charlie's guest bed and I had so much I needed to get done today.

I knew that I needed to go shopping for groceries and I needed to stop and see Charlie, but I also wanted to look into an internet café in Port Angeles. Charlie's internet was old and slow.

I forced myself out of bed and took a shower, taking my time getting dressed and putting on my make up.

Just as I was going downstairs the home phone began to ring and out of habit I hurried to answer it.

"Hello?" I answered as I leaned against the counter.

"Isabella? Is that you?" a woman's voice came across the phone.

"Actually I go by Bella." I tried to find where I had heard that voice before.

"This is Sue Clearwater, I was hoping you could come over for dinner in the next couple of days. I know Seth and Leah would love to see you again." When I used to come to Forks every year Charlie had had no idea what to do with me so he had taken me to spend time with the Clearwater's and the Black's kids. I could barely remember Seth, he had just been a baby the last time I saw him. I wondered how they were doing after the death of Harry. Him and my dad had been close and he had called to tell me when he died.

"That would be fun." I toyed with the phone cord. The last thing I wanted was to go. I preferred not to be the center of attention.

"Would tonight work for you?" she persisted. I could remember what a stubborn woman Sue was. She rarely took no for an answer and moved quickly on things.

"Yeah, I don't think I have anything planned." I tried to keep my tone upbeat, even though I knew that I would be dreading going.

"We'll look forward to seeing you then."

I hung up the phone and sat there for several minutes as I contemplated whether I should try to get out of it or not. Finally deciding that Sue was extremely persistent and I didn't have a chance of getting out of it I grabbed my purse and hurried from the house, out into the rain.

The grocery store was easier to find then the house had been. I quickly grabbed a basket and hurried to get my things, hoping to be able to get out of here quickly. It was strange to be in such a small town where everyone knew everyone. I was in such a hurry that I didn't realize who was in front of me until I collided with them.

"I'm so sorry." I told him as I crouched down to help get the items that had dropped.

"It's ok." the man told me as I handed him what I had picked up and he met my gaze.

"I'm Mike Newton." he gave me a smile.

"Bella Swan." I reluctantly admitted.

"Your Charlie's daughter?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah." I looked down at the ground.

Just as he was about to say something else a woman came up behind him, "Did you get the cereal?" she asked him.

"I've got it." his eyes flashed between the two of us and he hurried to introduce me, "Jess, this is Bella Swan, Charlie's daughter."

"How's he doing?" she turned to me.

"Better." I replied quickly, looking around for my quickest escape.

"It was nice running into you, my husband and I have to go." she emphasis on husband.

"It was nice meeting you." I quickly grabbed my things and hurried in the opposite direction.

I quickly paid and got out of the store, hoping not to have any more meetings with people from town.

I stopped at home to put the perishables away and then drove to the hospital to see Charlie.

"Hey, Dad." I said as I entered his room. He didn't look any different then he had yesterday.

"Bella, how was your night?" he asked as his face livened up.

"It was good, how was yours?" I couldn't help, but feel concerned.

"Fine." his eyes told me a completely different story.

"Dad, when's your doctor coming? I still haven't met him." I asked trying not to sound as concerned as I felt.

"I don't know, he stops by from time to time." he evaded the question.

"Sue invited me to dinner." I changed the subject, making a mental note to talk to one of the nurses about meeting his doctor. I wanted to know what was really going on.

"That's nice, you'll tell her hi for me?" he said his voice becoming weaker and more hoarse.

"Of course, Dad. I've got to go, but I'll be back soon." I stood up, hoping that I could go track down his doctor.

"Ok." he said quietly as he began to drift off.

I left the room and moved to the front desk.

"Hello, I'm Bella Swan, Charlie Swan's daughter. I was wondering if there was anyway I could get in contact with my father's doctor."

"One minute, I'll page him for you. If you'd like to take a seat in the waiting room he'll be here in a minute." the woman told me.

"Thank you."

I moved to the waiting room and took a seat tapping my nails against the arm rests.

"Bella?" a man in a white lab coat entered the waiting room.

"Hi." I stood up moving over toward him.

"I'm Doctor Cullen, I've been taking care of your father." he held out his hand and I shook it. His skin was icy cold.

"What's going on? Is he going to be ok?" I asked.

"Your father suffered from a severe heart attack and at this point we don't know. All we can do is monitor him and hope things improve. We've already done everything we can." he told me helplessly.

"Doctor, in your professional opinion do you think he's going to make it?" I asked him as I looked him straight in the eye.

"If he doesn't improve soon, then I would highly doubt it." he glanced down at the ground.

"Thank you for taking the time to talk to me." I moved past him and out of the building in a kind of haze. I had never thought about what would happen if my father died.

He had done his best to forge a relationship across the distance that had always separated us. He had called me regularly and had even agreed to start meeting me in other places when I told him I didn't want to go to Forks anymore. He had driven all the way to Florida when weather conditions caused for his flight to be cancelled so that he could come to my graduation.

I sucked in a breath as tears began to pour down my face. My father had tried so hard to have a relationship with me, but I had never put half as much effort in having a relationship with him.

I had thought about moving in with him during high school so that Mom could go on the road with Phil, but then Phil had gotten a teaching position and decided to take it. I had decided to go with them.

At the time it had been an easy decision. I had always lived with my mom and if I had no reason to leave her then why would I? She needed someone to keep her grounded and talk her out of all of the crazy things she decided she was going to do, but now I couldn't help but wonder how things would have been if I had moved here.

I would have had more time with Charlie. I would have developed a better relationship with him. Renee has Phil, but Charlie's lived here alone since Mom left.

I leaned my head against the steering wheel as I continued to cry. Why hadn't I tried harder to spend time with my father? Why hadn't I made an effort to get to know him too?

I knew the answer, I didn't know what little time I had left. I had never even entertained the idea that if I didn't take the chance then I may not get a chance later.

I had been selfish. So worried about myself and my own problems that I had never even considered that I should spend more time with Charlie.

My cell phone began ringing and I attempted to wipe away my tears and pull myself together as I grabbed it.

"Bella?" my Mom's voice came from the other line of the phone.

"Mom." I was surprised that my voice didn't crack.

"How's it going? How's Charlie doing?" she asked.

"He's not doing very well." I wiped at another tear.

"I'm sorry to hear that honey. What did the doctor say?"

"He said that if he doesn't start to improve soon he doesn't think that he'll make it." I forced myself not to start crying again. I wasn't going to fall apart on the phone and make Renee decide to come down here. She needed to stay home and rest.

"Oh, Sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"So am I. What did you call for?" I tried to get away from the topic before I broke down in sobs.

"Justin called," she began slowly.

Justin Parker and I had dated in high school. He had lived next door and I had thought we had nothing in common. He was the captain of the football team and I was a clumsy, straight A student, but we had slowly gotten to know each other and found that we had more in common then we thought. Everyone had thought we would get married after high school, but he had been excepted at the University of Michigan and I had stayed in Florida and began taking my classes online. We had mostly lost touch except for the occasional email.

"What did he say?" I asked, unsure what to think. What if he was calling to tell me he was engaged and getting married? I had no idea how I would feel if that were the case. How should I feel?

"He's coming to visit his parents for a couple of weeks soon and I think he hoped he could see you. I hope you don't mind, but I gave him your cell phone number." she finished quickly. I felt relieved, I wouldn't have to find the answers to those questions anytime soon.

"I don't mind, but I've really got to go. I'm going to dinner with one of Charlie's friends in an hour and a half." I told her as I looked at the clock. The day had gone by much faster then I had thought it would.

"Alright, I love you honey."

"I love you too." I placed the phone back in my purse and began driving back to the house, dreading the dinner even more then I did this morning.

_Thank you for reading and does anyone have any ideas what Bella's baby sister's name should be? _


	3. La Push

I parked in front of their house and waited a minute to think of any other way I could back out of this. Whatever people thought I didn't think of this trip to Forks as permanent. I was here for as long as Charlie needed me and when he didn't I would be returning to my home, to my life.

I finally slid from the car and moved slowly up to the Clearwater's front door. I could hear the sound of voices inside and laughter. It was foreign to me, Renee and I hadn't laughed and had fun making dinner since before she got married. Afterwards both of our lives had taken different directions and we hadn't even had time to sit down and have dinner together.

I knocked and patiently waited on the front porch until the door opened.

"Bella, come on in." a gangly boy, who I would guess was Seth, greeted me. It was strange to see him looking so grown up, I kept having flashbacks to when he was just a baby. Leah and I would dress him up in doll clothes and push him around the neighborhood in a stroller.

I stepped through the doorway and looked around and the tidy house. The walls were filled with family pictures and a piano sat in the living room on the right of the front door. There house was nicely taken care of, but it looked lived in.

"We're in the kitchen." he told me as he led me down the hall and around the corner to the kitchen.

"Bella." Sue looked up from where she was stirring something in a pot on the stove.

"It's nice to see you all again." I smiled as I stood in the doorway uncomfortably. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I'm almost done. Why don't you take a seat at the table, Leah should be home any minute." she moved to another bowl on the counter and stirred the contents.

I moved slowly over to the table and sat in one of the chairs watching as Seth moved over to grab something off of a platter and Sue slapped his hand away, almost as a reflex. After another failed attempt, he fled from the kitchen with Sue following him with a wooden spoon.

"Mom, I'm home." a woman's voice floated through the house as a door slammed.

"Your late." her mother commented in a voice that could be heard all through the house. Sue Clearwater was a powerful women and she never let you forget it.

Leah entered the kitchen and paused in front of the counter where her mother was working. She had black hair that went halfway down her back pulled back in a pony tail and she wore cut off jeans and a t-shirt. What really got me was her face. It was an emotionless mask that was hard and almost icy.

"Go get cleaned up." Sue told her as Sue pretended not to notice the look on her daughter's face.

Leah retreated from the kitchen without another word.

"What have you been up to?" she turned to me, trying to keep her voice light and positive.

"I'm going to college to become a teacher and helping Mom get ready for the baby." I answered absently.

"What do you want to teach?" she asked as she pulled rolls out of the oven.

"English." I responded.

"And what made you decide to be an English teacher?" I could tell she didn't want me to ask questions about Leah.

"I've always enjoyed reading and writing and English was my favorite subject in school." I explained absently, my mind was occupied with thoughts of Leah's transformation. She had been so happy and carefree when we were little.

"Where are you going to teach?" she began placing the rolls in a basket.

"I don't know yet."

"And how's your mother doing?" she moved on to the next subject without missing a beat.

"She's doing ok. She had severe morning sickness for the first trimester and now she's on bed rest. I think it's hard for her to have to stay down, she likes to be up doing things."

"I was lucky, I never had really bad morning sickness. I just felt drained of all my energy for the first couple of months, but Sarah, Billy's wife, always had the worst morning sickness, poor thing."

"How did you and Harry meet?" I asked curiously.

"We went to high school together, but he was a year older then me and we both hung out with different groups. He graduated a year before me and started working at my parent's store, trying to save up money to go to college. The two of us often worked together and got along fairly well. He went off to college the same year I graduated and we ended up going to University of Washington together. We got married a little while after we both had graduated and I got pregnant with Leah a year later." she finished her story. "You know, Sarah, Renee, and I were all pregnant with our first child, or in Sarah's case children, at the same time?""I didn't know that." I said quietly. I knew we had all been similar in age, but I had never thought about our mother's being pregnant at the same time.

"Seth, Leah, dinner!" she called as she brought the rolls to the table and I got up to help her move the rest of the food.

The two of them entered at about the same time and both helped us as we moved the food and sat down.

We passed the food around the table until everyone had full plates. I couldn't remember the last time Phil, Renee and I had sat down and had a meal together. It would have been right after we had gotten settled at our house in Florida.

"How've you been, Bella?" Seth broke the silence that had settled over the table.

"I've been good. What have you been up to?" I turned the attention over to him quickly.

"School, I graduate this year." he said proudly.

Leah picked at her food not making any attempts at conversation. Her face remained an icy mask and I couldn't help, but wonder what had happened to her to make her like this.

"What have you been up to, Leah?" I asked in an attempt to bring her into the conversation.

"Nothing." she said quickly and with an edge that told me not to ask anymore questions. Sue looked over at her with a grim, resolute expression on her face.

The rest of the dinner passed with mostly small talk. Leah remained in silence and her mother would occasionally give her an upset look. Seth occupied most of the conversation talking about everything and anything. He seemed to have taken the assignment of keeping the conversation going and avoiding awkward subjects.

"Leah, will you help me clean up?" her mother asked as I helped her clear dishes from the table and Leah sat staring into space.

"Sure." she said quietly as she got up and grabbed one of the dishes.

"Seth, why don't you and Bella go for a walk?" her voice implied that she wanted time to talk to her daughter alone.

"Alright Mom." Seth agreed quickly as he moved towards the door and I hesitantly followed him.

He held the door for me as I stepped out onto the porch. The clouds were stormy with the threat of rain, but it didn't look immediate.

The two of us settled in a comfortable pace as we walked down the street. Everything was so green and full of life, I could see the ocean in front of me reflecting the grey of the sky.

"Your going to college now, right?" Seth asked.

"Yeah." I was still taking in all of the green around me.

"Where are you going?" he continued.

"It's a school online. Where do you plan on going?" I tried to turn the focus to him my life really wasn't worth mentioning.

"One of the schools in Washington. I want to stay close to home." his face took on a strange expression that I couldn't read.

"What do you plan on doing?" I asked becoming genuinely curious.

"I'll get a business degree and help at the family store." he shrugged as he kicked at gravel on the road.

"Is that what you want to do?" I asked. His reactions to my questions were off somehow.

"It's what I have to do. Someone has to stay here and take care of things." he continued to look at the ground.

"Isn't Leah here?"

"Leah causes more trouble then she helps things. The sad thing is that she doesn't even realize she's making things worse."

"What do you mean?" I knew that I shouldn't pry, but the actions that I had seen while I was at their house had intrigued me.

"Leah was engaged to this guy and he left her for our cousin. Now, Leah's bitter and in a bad mood all of the time. I get that she's hurt, but it's time to move on, it's been almost three years. Things have been especially worse now since our cousin and her ex-fiancé got married." he told me with the same grim expression his mother wore on her face.

"Where are they living?" I suddenly found that I had a new understanding of why Leah seemed as upset as she did. She had absolutely every right to be upset, maybe she wasn't accepting things and moving on the way she should, but who could blame her. She had been betrayed by her cousin and the man she had planned on marrying, not to mention that her brother didn't act very sympathetic towards her. I could only imagine how the rest of her family treated her.

"They're living here in town." Seth replied.

"Why does Leah stay here then? She's old enough to leave and have a fresh start." It couldn't possibly help her to be surrounded by memories of what could have been.

"She can't." he said in a tone that ended the topic.

We walked on in silence, neither of us knowing what to say, until a voice shattered the quiet.

"Seth! Seth!" an unfamiliar voice called from behind us.

We turned and watched as a muscular man ran down the street towards us. He wore a torn t-shirt and cut offs, his hair was short and cut close to his head.

"Hey, Embry." Seth greeted the man when he finally reached us. I was surprised to hear that he wasn't even out of breath after running as far as he had.

"Seth, who's your friend?" he looked at me with a smile on his face.

"This is Bella Swan, Charlie's daughter." Seth told him with a role of his eyes.

"Oh. How's Charlie doing?" he asked somberly.

"Ok." I looked down at my feet.

"Seth, I'll walk with Bella, Sam needs you to go talk to Jacob." he turned to Seth again.

"What about?" he folded his arms across his chest in a gesture of defiance.

"You can ask Sam when you see him." he moved his eyes slowly and deliberately towards me and back again.

"Fine. Sorry Bella, I'll be back later." Seth told me before he turned and walked off into the woods.

"Jacob, as in Jacob Black?" I asked Embry when Seth was gone. I was careful to keep my voice completely innocent. I had a feeling that lots of interesting things went on in this small town.

"That's the one." he turned to move in the direction we had been going towards and then stopped when he saw I wasn't following him.

"I should really get going. It's getting dark and I need to get back to Charlie's house. Will you tell the Clearwater's goodbye and thank you for me?" I turned back towards the house. I didn't feel comfortable going for a walk with a complete stranger and as much as I would have liked to pump him for information the storm clouds were turning darker and I knew it would rain soon.

"I'll tell them." there was a disappointed look on his face.

"Thanks." I wrapped my arms around myself as I moved back toward my car. The wind was picking up and I was beginning to get cold.

I moved back to the car quickly seeing the storm clouds began to look like they were ready to burst and got into the driver's seat just as the first rain drops fell.

_Thanks for reading, and if anyone has any suggestions for Renee's baby's name I would love to hear them._


	4. The Wolves

Several days passed without any change in Charlie. All I could do was sit by his bedside and wait for something to happen, I had never felt so helpless in my life.

I sat by his bedside once again, watching his sleeping face. The medicines they had put him on made him tired and although they assured me that there was still no change, the more time he spent asleep the more time I wondered if he was really decreasing.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan." Dr. Cullen greeted me as he entered the room and begin to check Charlie's vitals.

"Good morning." I tried to sound cheerful, and failed horribly.

He didn't say anything else as he finished with Charlie and left the room, I wondered if that was a good sign or a bad sign.

I got up from my chair and moved out the door, planning to go down to the cafeteria and get a water bottle, but paused as I passed the front desk and heard the conversation.

"Do you think your daughter will marry Cullen's boy?" one of the woman working at the front desk asked the other.

"I wish she would consider Jacob Black, but she has her heart set on Edward. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better to just have had her stay with her father." the other woman replied. These were the words that caused me to pause.

"Every girl in town would love to be noticed by one of the Cullen's, but I never thought of your daughter as one of those girls." the first woman, who looked older then the second, said disapprovingly.

"Edward's changed her, she's not the same daughter I raised." the frown seemed to deepen on the woman's face and the two of them turned back to their working, not speaking again.

I continued my journey down to the cafeteria deep in thought. This town seemed to be filled with more intrigue then I had once thought.

I sat with Charlie for several more hours and left just as visiting hours were over. The moon had risen by the time I entered the parking lot, casting an eerie glow. To add to my growing fear there weren't any cars parked around mine and mine was the farthest car out.

I walked quickly, my keys held stiffly in my hand as I moved. I thought I heard footsteps behind me, but dismissed them as my imagination.

I moved quicker, my car seemed even farther away then when I had started. Suddenly someone grabbed me from behind and I turned.

The thing that immediately caught my attention were the red eyes that seemed to glow.

I screamed once before the figure placed a hand over my mouth.

"It will be quick, painless, I promise." he whispered in a musical voice.

I tried to scream again, but the sound came out muffled. No one would hear me, I would die. I would never get married, have children. I wouldn't be there for the birth of my baby sister, I wouldn't be able to stay with Charlie.

I forced myself to focus, thinking over the few self defense classes I had taken with Renee.

I twisted, trying to break his grip, but he held firm. His grip was strong, I was sure it would leave bruises. I tried to hit him, but only succeeded in hurting myself.

He laughed, amused at my efforts. His grip tightened on me and I closed my eyes, waiting for death to come, but it didn't.

I heard the sound of a growl and opened my eyes, just as a flying ball of fur leaped through the hair, hitting into the man and sending me flying several feet and landing on the concrete.

Several more creatures came from the edge of the forest following the other which had the man pinned on the ground.

I screamed again and the first wolf turned to look at me. I felt my breathing quicken as I realized that I had seen this wolf before, this was the wolf that had haunted my dreams since I was a little girl.

"Help!" I screamed again as I tried to push myself back.

I couldn't see where my car keys had ended up and my body refused to cooperate. I couldn't tell if I had broken anything.

The wolf moved slowly towards me, pausing inches from me. He moved one paw so that it hovered over my hand, I could feel the fur and it's breath on my face, then everything went black.

* * *

When I woke up I was in a hospital room hooked up to a dozen machines and wires. Every muscle and bone in my body seemed to ache and it took me a moment to regain my memory of what had happened.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan." Dr. Cullen entered the room, checking one of the monitors.

I didn't say anything, there was nothing good about this morning.

"You can be released as soon as you'd like to go, except for some bruises and scratches you should be fine." he told me in an overly cheerful voice, I could tell he was hiding something.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You were attacked in the parking lot. You were lucky some of the Quileute boys found you and brought you in." he answered, he wasn't looking at me, a sure sign of lying.

"I want to go now." I told him, folding my arms.

"I'll have the paperwork done for you in a minute, your clothes are in the bag there." he gestured to a plastic bag that was sitting on the side table.

I waited until he was gone to open the bag, inside were my clothes, but they weren't the clothes I had been wearing yesterday. These were clothes that had been neatly folded, resting in my suitcase.

I could feel my breathing speed up as I thought of someone being in Charlie's house, going through my things. Something was going on in this town and I intended to find out exactly what it was.


	5. Embry

As I stood on the porch of Charlie's house, looking for any sign that someone had broken in, I found none. My heart was beating wildly in my chest as I thought of someone waiting in there for me, waiting to finish me off.

I took a deep breath and inserted the key into the lock, twisting it, and then letting the door swing open.

"Hello?" I called as I waited out on the front porch.

When there was no answer I took a hesitant step inside, hitting the light switch so that the room was flooded with light.

I tossed my purse onto the couch and moved to the kitchen, nothing had changed, nothing had been broken. Everything appeared to be in place on the first floor.

I moved up the stairs, opening each door as I passed, and found the same results, the house was still in good order and nothing appeared to be touched, except for the picture my mother had sent me in the mail, that held a picture of her latest ultrasound, the letter laying next to it. When I had left they were sitting on the dresser, now they were on my suitcase.

I put it back on the dresser and sat down on the edge of the bed placing my head in my hands. How could I ever live in this house knowing that someone else had been able to get in and out without a trace except for a picture?

The disconcerting thoughts that went through my head soon drove me from the house and I drove aimlessly, until I ended up at the beach in La Push.

I got out of my car and took off my shoes, carrying them in my hand as I walked. I let the icy cold water lap at my feet and I felt better, safer.

I was able to ignore the pain in my shoulders and just focus on the water that stretched out before me.

"Bella?" Seth's voice intruded into my silence.

I turned and found him running towards me, his friend, Embry running along beside him. They were wearing shorts, I wondered how anyone could wear just shorts in this cold weather, wouldn't Sue throw a fit at them not wearing a shirt?

"What are you doing here?" Seth asked as soon as he caught up to me, he didn't sound as if he'd just run half the length of the beach.

"Going for a walk." I answered, not sure that I wanted to share what had happened with him.

"Are you feeling better?" Embry asked before Seth could speak.

"Feeling better?" I asked blankly, news really couldn't travel that fast, could it?

"Embry was one of the people who found you in the parking lot." Seth rolled his eyes as he glanced over at his friend.

"Oh, I'm sore, but I'll be fine." I answered quickly, how could I explain to them that I was more worried about my mental health? Wolves weren't supposed to just jump out of the woods and save damsels in distress, it just wasn't normal. No that anything in this town seemed normal.

"That's good," Embry paused for a moment, giving a pointed look to Seth, who ignored it, "I was wondering if you wanted to go down to Port Angeles with me this Friday, I could show you around." he finished when he saw Seth wasn't going to leave.

My instant reaction was to say no, but when I thought of all the information I could get from him I didn't know how to refuse, "Sure." I smiled.

"Jake's going to kill you." Seth muttered to Embry under his breath, who pretended to ignore it.

"I'll pick you up at eight?" he pushed along the conversation before I could ask about what Seth had said.

"Ok, I'll see you then." I flashed another smile, before I walked back towards my car and got in, all the while feeling their eyes on my back.

The rest of the week seemed to go by quickly, it was spent mostly with Charlie, who still had absolutely no change.

When Friday finally came I was faced with another problem, what was I going to wear?

I went through my entire suitcase and finally decided on a nice pair of jeans and a blue long sleeved shirt, adding a necklace that my mother had given me for my birthday. I pulled part of my hair back into a clip and let the rest of my hair, which had gone curly with the weather, hang down. All in all I was happy with the end result.

I still wasn't emotionally ready when the door bell rang, I had never had any intention to date anyone while I was here, even though I really wasn't taking this seriously, or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

I answered the door and there stood Embry with a smile on his face that looked like he was ready to start laughing. It was then when I really questioned whether it was a good idea to go with him, how emotionally stable was he?

"Ready to go?" he asked as he pulled himself together.

"Yeah." I snagged my jacket and purse off of the hook on the door and followed him out to the car.

He opened the passenger door for me and I got inside after which he walked around to the other side, getting in.

While I tried to figure out how to broach the topic I wanted to talk about, he started a topic of his own.

"So you live in Florida?" he asked as he turned on the windshield wipers, the light rain that had been falling while I was getting ready had turned into a downpour.

"Yes." I answered.

"and you like it there?"

"Yes." I wondered where he was going with this topic.

"Why?"

I thought about it for several seconds before I spoke, "I like it there because my mother and my friends are there. It's not necessarily the first place I would have chosen to live, but it's a place that I'm comfortable with." I knew it wasn't the answer he was expecting, but my attachment really only went as far as the people. "What about you? Have you lived in Washington all your life?"

"Yes." he smirked as he mimicked me.

"Do you like it here?" I asked playing along.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it's home." he answered, completely serious.

I had never thought about where my home was, I had willingly gone wherever my mother went, but never really thought, "this is where I want to live for the rest of my life".

"How do you and Seth know each other?" I broke the silence after several minutes, Embry looked five to six years older at least, even with Seth looking old for his age, I couldn't imagine them meeting at school.

"We all live so close to each other that everybody knows everybody, we all grew up with each other." he shrugged, only the slightest tightening of his eyes suggested that there was another answer.

I looked out into the dark, rain filled night, pressing my hand against the cool window. I had never been in a place where it rained as much as it did here and it almost seemed to grow on me, all the green and the fresh smell that it left.

"What were you doing at the hospital when you found me?" I finally felt brave enough to ask one of the questions that had been plaguing me.

I watched as his eyes tightened and he seemed to struggle to come up with an answer, he opened his mouth as if to reply, and then suddenly we were sliding across the road.

"What's going on?" I yelled, but I could see the figure that almost seemed to be pushing the car toward the edge of a cliff that appeared to drop off several hundred feet.

"Embry!" I yelled again, but it was too late, suddenly we were hurtling over the edge and I doubted we would survive the landing.

_Thank you for reading. I would appreciate it if you would review and tell me what you think._


	6. Unwelcome

The last thing I remember was a moment where we were flying through the air and then suddenly glass was shattering all around me.

The next time I became aware of anything I wasn't sure what was going on. I felt like I was floating through a sea of blackness and then a voice penetrated into it's depths.

"She's going to be ok, right?" the male voice was familiar and yet I was sure I had never heard it before in my life.

"She wasn't even the one who absorbed the impact as we hit the ground. I'm healing fine too thanks for asking." Embry's upset voice answered.

"How long do you think she's going to sleep?" the first voice asked, for some reason I found the voice soothing and comforting, like a close friend was speaking.

"She passed out before we hit the ground, Sue says that she's just traumatized from the impact." Embry answered with the same tone of annoyance.

"Are you sure that's what she said?"

"Why don't you go ask her yourself?" Embry finally crossed over into, almost hostile.

The voices were quiet after that and I was left to drift again. Slowly a dream seemed to intrude into the blackness and I was standing on the porch of a house that I had never been to before, watching a child playing in the yard.

"She looks just like you." someone told me from behind as they're hands wrapped around my waist.

"Actually I think that she takes after your side of the family." I replied a smile coming to my face.

"Mommy! Look what I found!" the child ran toward me, a beautiful flower in her hand.

"It's beautiful." I replied leaning down to examine it.

I could have stayed there forever, but another voice sucked me out of my dream and my eyes fluttered open.

"How do you feel?" Sue Clearwater asked as I looked around the room. I was in her house laying on the couch.

"Fine." I answered, I felt a little bit sore, but I was sure that was from the parking lot. I wondered why they hadn't taken me to the hospital, the accident was surely severe enough to require having tests done, or was the crash just another dream?

She nodded a pensive look on her face as she watched me.

"What do you remember?" she asked finally, after several minutes of silence, her voice wasn't friendly as it had been at dinner, it was professional.

"I remember being in a car and going over the edge." I kept the thoughts of someone pushing us to myself, I doubted she would believe me.

"Embry was driving too fast he went around a curve and lost control of the car." I could tell she was lying from the way her eyes didn't meet mine and the false note in her voice that was barely noticeable.

"Is Embry ok?" I asked.

"He's fine as are you, it's remarkable that the two of you both managed to make it out of the crash without a scrape." her eyes continued to look at the couch back behind me, her face completely blank except for a frown. Something was bothering her and I had a feeling she had no intention of talking to me about it.

"Can I go back to Charlie's house?" I asked as I sat up.

"I don't see any reason why you can't." she smiled at me, with a look that almost seemed to be relieved, but the smile was definitely forced.

I got up and grabbed my purse which had been laid by the couch, it too appeared to have miraculously survived the crash and Sue showed me to the door. It wasn't until I was at the sidewalk that I realized I didn't have a car.

I pulled my cell phone from my purse, wondering who I could possibly call. I knew no one in this town and I didn't feel like I could go back and talk to Sue, she had all but thrown me out of her house.

I finally began walking down the street in the direction of Forks, I doubted I would make it the entire way, but I didn't really see any other choice.

I was a fairly long way down the road when a car pulled up, "Would you like a ride?" Leah, who for once didn't sound hostile, asked.

I thought about it for several seconds and finally agreed going around the car and getting in the passenger side.

"I'm sorry my mother just left you, she's not in the best of mind right now." Leah said as she kept her eyes focused on the road in front of her.

I couldn't come up with an answer so I didn't say anything, figuring that silence may be the best option at the moment.

We rode in silence for the rest of the ride, neither of us even trying to start a conversation. When we reached my house Leah parked in the driveway and I opened the door.

"Bella?" she stopped me, her face taking on an unreadable expression.

"Yes." I asked turning to look at her.

"It may be a good idea for you not to come back to La Push." she spoke the words in a way which clearly stated that I wasn't welcome there.

A flash of anger went through me, but I tried to keep my tone civil as I replied, "I have no intention to ever go there again." I failed and it came out with an edge to it, but I didn't regret saying it as I went up to the door and entered the house without looking back.

I thought back over the actions and things that Leah had said and I couldn't even begin to make sense of it, I couldn't make sense of anything that had happened since I came to Forks.

Unable to sleep that night I made my way down to the kitchen and laid out a piece of paper on the table, making a list of all the strange things I had heard and seen since I came here.

I then proceeded to put it in chronological order and figure out how they all connected, but I couldn't seem to make them all fit. It was like trying to put a puzzle together without all the pieces.

How could Leah's behavior connect with Seth needing to go see Jake, and did the girl that I had overheard them talking about in the hospital have anything to do with it all?

I was nowhere near figuring any of it out when I finally gave up and curled up on the couch and grabbed a book from one of my bags, I knew I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

I was still awake when the sun rose the next morning and I felt like I had been run over by some kind of heavy machinery.

I shook off as much of the exhaustion as I could and got ready for the day, maybe it was the exhaustion that made me feel defiant and willing to go against what Leah had said, but it didn't matter. I wanted answers as to why I had had two attempts on my life in the past week and how the Quileute's were connected.

I grabbed my car keys and moved out to the car, fully intending to have a conversation with my father's friend Billy Black, after all, he had invited me to come visit him.

_Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but things have been crazy. Thank you for reading and please take the time to review and tell me what you think._


	7. Miles To Go

The burst of courage that had come from anger and lack of sleep, slowly began to dwindle as I came closer to La Push, but before I could decide to turn around the Black's house came into view. I was amazed that I could even remember where the house was.

I moved up the steps to the front door and knocked, figuring that the worst they could do was turn me away at which point I could probably come up with a number of threats that would get me the answers I wanted. I wasn't usually one who would resort to threats, but at this point I needed the answers for my own sanity.

"Bella." Billy greeted when the door opened with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Billy." I responded, not sure quite how to proceed.

"Why don't you come in and we can talk?" he suggested moving his wheel chair to the side so that I could enter.

The house was in good condition, considering that only two men lived there. Two couches occupied most of the space in the living room and a big screen TV was placed against one of the walls. I could see the doorway that led to the kitchen from where I was standing and besides several dishes left on the table it looked fairly clean.

"How's Charlie?" Billy asked, watching me with expressionless eyes as I surveyed the house.

"No change," I looked down for a moment feeling a sting of pain as I realized that I hadn't thought about him in several hours. Letting other things occupy my mind.

"That's too bad, he's a good man," Billy looked down as well obviously not comfortable with conversations that were so personal.

"Yeah," I agreed looking down at my hands.

"So what can I do for you?" his tone changed and his face took on a guarded expression.

I spent several seconds trying to decide how to phrase my question, but in the end could only dance around the subject. "You know a number of unusual things have happened to me since I came here and most of them are connected to the Quileute's in some way."

His expression stayed blank, but I could see the slightest tightening of his eyes.

"You can tell me the truth or I can try to figure things out on my own and I don't know that you'll like what I come up with," I told him.

"I don't see how any of this is your business," he finally said and I could feel irritation began to grow inside of me.

"I've almost died several times in the past couple of days, if that isn't my business I don't know what is," I snapped my patience entirely gone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said and I knew that he was lying.

"Thank you for your time," I turned back to the door and opened it, coming face to face with someone that looked strangely familiar.

"Excuse me," I murmured backing up so that he could step inside the house, but he didn't move, his eyes still locked on me.

"You must be Bella," he partially recovered, his mouth saying one thing, but his eyes holding a whole other set of emotions.

"Yeah, I was just leaving," I stated the obvious, a little annoyed that he had ruined my dramatic exit.

"Right, how's Charlie?" he asked. Still not moving out of my way.

"No change," I repeated finally just moving around him, our shoulders brushing. A wave of electricity shot through where we had touched and I looked back our eyes locking once again in a silent stare.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his eyes not leaving mine.

"Me too," I knew that I should have been leaving, but I couldn't bring myself to look away.

"Jake, Melissa called," Billy's voice intruded into the trance I had been in.

"Right," his eyes immediately flickered from hers as if he was just remembering something and he quickly entered the house, shutting the door in my face.

I huffed a sigh of annoyance as I made my way back to my car. I was all the more motivated to figure out what was going on now.

I drove through the rain and soon found myself in front of the house. Wondering how I was going to follow through with my decision. As if an answer to my thoughts my cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?" I answered, fully expecting it to be my mother.

"Bella?" Justin's voice quickly brought me back to reality.

"Justin?" I said his own name, as if I needed the confirmation. I suddenly felt as if I were back in high school.

"How have you been?" he asked, sounding just as awkward as it had the first time he had called me.

"Fine and you?" I couldn't keep the smile from my face at the sound of his familiar voice. A voice that held so many memories.

"I'm doing okay. I'm sorry to hear that you're not going to be here when I am. I feel as if I haven't seen you in forever. I've missed you," he said the words quickly, as if afraid of the reaction he would get.

"I've missed you too," I answered as I played with the edge of my sleeve.

"I'm sorry to hear about your father. How are you holding up?" his voice seemed to be loosening up and becoming less tense.

"I'm doing okay," I answered.

"I know that it may seem kind of rushed, but I was thinking I could come down there and see you. I haven't kept in touch with a lot of people from high school. It's pretty much just you and Max," my thoughts immediately left the conversation at the mention of Max. He had been a friend of Justin's in high school and now he worked for the FBI. I wondered if he could dig up some information on the strange things happening here. It was at least a start.

"It may seem kind of rushed, but I was thinking I could come and see you next weekend," she caught the last of his ramblings and tried to focus on the conversation.

"Yeah, I'd like that," I waited a moment before continuing, "You said you were still in touch with Max. Do you think you could give me his contact information? I haven't talked to him since graduation."

"Yeah, sure." he listed the information and she quickly wrote it on the back of a receipt in her purse.

"Thanks, I'll see you soon," I ended the conversation.

"Be careful," he replied before hanging up.

I smiled, I finally had somewhere to start on collecting information. If Max didn't come through then I could always try reading old newspaper articles to see if anything else weird had happened. If worse came to worse I would just go down to the police station to file some reports on the incidents I had been involved in. Someone had to have some kind of information.

For a brief moment thoughts of Jake went through my mind and I could feel the electricity that had sparked through me. I quickly dismissed the thoughts and got out the car. Doing my best to ignore the feeling that I was being watched I hurried inside.

* * *

_I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. I've been suffering from Writer's block and from lack of time. I promise I haven't just abandoned my stories. I really do intend to finish them. I would appreciate it if you would review and let me know what you think._

_Thanks,_

_Polgara218_


	8. Breathing

"Max, this is Bella, Bella Swan. We went to high school together. I was wondering if you could give me a call if you get the chance. I'd love to catch up and see what's happening. Talk to you later," I hung up the phone and leaned against the counter. I couldn't help but think of how lame that message had sounded.

Still, it wasn't like I could just call up and tell them I thought there was someone following me and I had been rescued by a pack of wolves. That was probably not a conversation that should be had over the phone.

I sighed as I set the cell phone onto the counter and glanced out the window. For once it didn't appear to be raining and I could even see a hint of sunlight. The sun, which reminded me of Florida and the fact that I needed to book a flight to take me home in two weeks. I couldn't miss the birth of my baby sister.

I made a note on a notepad in the kitchen and grabbed my car keys. I knew it was time to go visit my father, as much as I really wished I didn't. Every time I went to see him I felt as if he had faded away just a little bit more. As if he would be gone any minute.

I entered the hospital and made my way to his room. By now I would probably be able to get there blindfolded.

He laid in the bed sleeping and I didn't wake him, instead taking the seat next to his bed and staring at him.

"Ms. Swan," Dr. Cullen greeted me as he entered the room some time later.

To my surprise he pulled up a chair next to me and sat facing me.

"Dr. Cullen," I returned the greeting. I felt sick suddenly.

"He stopped breathing last night," he told me carefully and I felt a wave of paralyzing panic go through me.

"What?" I asked blankly as I struggled to comprehend it.

"We have him stabilized again, but I want to talk to you about the possibility of him passing. Now, I'm not sure if you know whether he has any kind of funeral planned or who's in charge of his estate. I think it may be a good idea for you to figure this out. Just as a precaution," his golden eyes held compassion as they saw several tears run down my face.

"I'll look into it," I promised as I struggled to wipe them away.

"I'll check on him in a little while. For now, I'm just going to let him sleep," he left the room and left me to fall apart.

Tears ran down my face in a torrent of emotions, until I felt as if I would combust from the inside. Until I had no energy left and I felt as if I were going to throw up. As soon as the thought crossed my mind I ran into the bathroom where I began heaving violently.

Of course that's how Jake and Billy would find me. I'm just one of those people with that kind of luck.

"Everything okay?" Jake asked from the doorway, where Billy had been wheeled in before him.

I opened my mouth to say something and leaned over the toilet again as the rest of my stomach emptied.

Jake entered the bathroom and closed the door behind the two of us to give me some privacy. He pulled my hair back, out of my face and held it until I had finished. I collapsed against the side of the wall and he handed me a wet towel to wipe my face.

"You want to talk?" he asked after a second.

"Not really," I replied, mortified that he had seen me in such a vulnerable state.

"Food poisoning?" he asked as he sunk down beside me.

"I don't handle bad news very well. When I get myself worked up enough this happens," I said vaguely as I closed my eyes, wishing I could just get away from this situation.

"What happened?" he asked gently. His voice held curiosity, but he wasn't pushing me.

"The doctor told me that Charlie stopped breathing last night. He started talking about funeral arrangements, I didn't handle it well," I said in a clipped, slightly hysterical voice.

"I'm sorry," his voice held so much compassion in those two words that I felt a warmth start to grow inside me, but I quickly forced it down.

"I just keep feeling so guilty. I almost moved here, in high school and then I didn't and now I may never get the chance to know him the way I should have. I'll never get the chance to make up for lost time," I confessed, the tone in his voice made it so easy to trust him. Even though it went against my basic self-preservation instincts.

"It seems like you're spending a lot of time with him now. These last couple of weeks. It may never be enough, but at least you have that. You have the chance to say goodbye. That's more then I had with my mother," he said quietly. Not trying to make me feel better, but to ease some of the guilt.

"Thanks," I said, thanking him for everything with that one word.

"Anytime," the word was said casually, but I felt as if there were a promise behind that. A promise which frightened me.

"I should go," I started to get up and found myself light headed, he grabbed me before I could go down again and I felt the same electric spark run through me.

"Careful," he continued to hold my arm as he got up himself and continued to support me.

I closed my eyes for a moment as I felt the electricity running between us. Feelings that absolutely terrified me suddenly seemed to take a hold of me. I opened my eyes and found myself gazing into his charcoal gaze. For a moment, time seemed to stop and then reality crashed in.

"Everything okay in there?" Billy's voice came through the door as he knocked.

"Fine," Jake called back as I stepped back from him.

I moved over to the door and opened it, stepping back into Charlie's hospital room. Charlie's eyes were open and they gazed at me with depths of emotion.

"Food poisoning," I told him with a shrug.

He nodded, seeming to be too tired to answer.

"I'll give you guys a minute," I told them as I stepped from the room and moved down the hall. Trying not to think about the reaction I had, had to an almost complete stranger.

* * *

_Sorry it has taken me so long to update. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often now that things are slowing down. Please review and let me know what you think._


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